Rita Panahi: No vindication for Ten and Lisa Wilkinson’s reckless reporting

For Lisa Wilkinson to triumphantly proclaim outside court that she was found to have published the truth about the Bruce Lehrmann and Brittany Higgins case is not the full story, not even close.

Channel 10 and Lisa Wilkinson would do well to heed Justice Michael Lee’s considered words rather than pretend that his findings vindicate their reckless reporting and activism, which delayed a rape trial and caused immeasurable harm to at least one innocent woman.

For Wilkinson to triumphantly proclaim outside court that she was found to have published the truth is not really the full story, not even close.

The tale that she and Ten pushed was one of a high-level political cover-up where a victim was coerced into choosing between her career and justice.

Indeed Wilkinson’s 2021 interview began with this introduction: “Tonight claims of rape, roadblocks to a police investigation and a young woman forced to choose between her career and the pursuit of justice … Brittany Higgins says the government betrayed her”.

The tale that Lisa Wilkinson and Ten pushed was one of a high-level political cover-up where a victim was coerced into choosing between her career and justice. Picture: Gaye Gerard

The only vindication for Ten and Wilkinson was the finding that they did not defame Bruce Lehrmann who Justice Lee found guilty of rape on the balance of probabilities.

Justice Lee was scathing of the Ten team and dismissive of the cover-up story they disseminated.

In their eagerness to build this narrative they spread, without a good basis, claims that former Liberal staffer Fiona Brown pressured Higgins not to proceed with a police complaint.

Brown was about the only person involved in this unholy mess who came out unscathed with Justice Lee praising her integrity and care for Higgins and noting the hardship she endured.

He also found the notion that The Project was not very critical of Ms Brown to be “utterly unsustainable”.

Though she was badly advised, Wilkinson as a veteran media performer should’ve been well aware that her Logies speech was going to jeopardise a rape trial. Picture: Getty Images

He was critical of Wilkinson’s lack of candour and propensity to make serious claims which “lacked a factual foundation”.

“This evidence illustrated a tendency of Ms Wilkinson to try to avoid making concessions, even an obvious one,” Justice Lee said.

And though she was badly advised, Wilkinson as a veteran media performer should’ve been well aware that her Logies speech was going to jeopardise a rape trial.

“She ought to have known the speech was fraught with danger and recognised that lauding a complainant on the eve of a rape trial in the terms she did would be apt to undermine the due administration of justice,” Justice Lee said.

Ten and Wilkinson should be thrilled that it was Lehrmann who sued, not Brown.

Rita Panahi is a Herald Sun columnist